The accused confessed to the crime during questioning and said he had stopped the bike after the accident, but fled the spot fearing lynching by the crowd which gathered afterwards
(Pic for representation/ HT photo)

Using broken pieces of a number plate they recovered from the crime scene, officers from Vakola police station, Santacruz (East), solved a month-old fatal hit-and-run case on Friday by arresting a 26-year-old man from Govandi.

Cops said an unknown vehicle had knocked down Mistrilal Harijan (50) while he was crossing the Western Express Highway (WEH) outside Davri Nagar gate no.5 on August 28. Though Harijan was rushed to the nearby VN Desai Hospital, he succumbed to his injuries within minutes of undergoing treatment. Harijan lived in Davri Nagar with his brother and undertook jobs involving furniture polishing.

Read: 50-year-old dies in hit-and-run while crossing highway

During investigation, police found pieces of a number plate from the accident spot, which they used to trace the driver. Based on the registration details they secured, cops arrested Imran Ali Ahmed Khan on Friday. Khan confessed to the crime during questioning and said he had stopped the bike after the accident, but fled the spot fearing lynching by the crowd which gathered afterwards. He was riding a two-wheeler at the time of the mishap.

Khan, however, had no answer when the police asked him why he did not surrender later. Khan said he was speeding when Harijan appeared on the road and could not swirl the bike in time to avoid collision.

He was booked under sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code and 134A and B of the Motor Vehicles Act for escaping from the spot without rendering help. Khan was produced in the magistrate court and was remanded in judicial custody.